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What will it take to get the mainstream into gaming this generation? The best-selling systems by far have been the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS and, while you can argue for hours about why that is, one of the obvious factors has to be that these are the two lowest-priced systems on the market. "The Wii at its price point is now setting a standard and an expectation," Rob Kotick, Activision's CEO told Reuters, "and people say, well, the Wii is less complex technically. I don't think that really matters as much to the consumer." His expectation of a mass-market $200 system may not be far off the mark.

"In the next 24 months they all will need to be at that $199 price point, and you can imagine Nintendo will be down to the $129 price point over the next few years," he went on. The Xbox 360 is the next closest with the $280 Arcade model, and the PlayStation 3 is still the most expensive option at $400. That's a good price for a gaming console with a Blu-ray player, but a hard sell for the masses.

One of the often-overlooked reasons that the Wii may be such an attractive choice is that it's easy to buy. Not only is it relatively inexpensive, but there is only one model, and it comes with a game. For the parents and grandparents of the world, it's a much easier time at retail; you don't have to worry about which model to get, what cables you'll need, and how much you'll spend. You just grab the $250 box and you have everything you need to get going.

The $200 console may be closer than we think as prices have been falling with some regularity, and if history is any indicator, that's when the majority of consumers will finally take the plunge.